Toad
by Joriel
Summary: Toad notices a telepath staring at him at lunch, and decides to unload on her since she's so busy starin' at him. What he gets in return surprises him. Short story, rating is for language. Arica is original to me, not canon to any X-universe.


Look at those X-dorks sitting at their table, acting like nothing's wrong, and life is just a great adventure. Yeah, right. Everything is wrong in their lives, the only thing is they're so fucked in the head they don't even know it. But I do. Boy, do I ever. You listening to me, Arica? They say you're some kind of telepath. Must be, you just nodded your head at me.  
  
My name? It's Todd, Todd Tolensky. You really care? Heh, I didn't think so.  
  
But at least you're listening, which is more than I can say for most. Maybe you're all right, some kind of mutant angel or somethin', I don' know. I just can't help looking at them, wondering why they don't just deal with how bad it is. That Nightcrawler guy knows. He looks like an absolute freak without that fancy little wristwatch on, no way he can pass. Maybe that's why the others are so calm about it all? Cuz they can pass? They can walk into a store or a movie and no one will look twice at them?  
  
I sure as hell can't. That's how I ended up here, ya know?  
  
My life was like everyone else's, I lived in New York, had parents, had a big brother, went to school. Same shit different day kind of life, but I liked it. Then this happened to me. I turned thirteen, and my body started changin'. That stupid phone councilor told me everyone's body starts changin' at my age. Not like mine, yo. I hung up on her, she wasn't listenin' to me anyway. Could hear it her voice, ya know?  
  
My eyes turned this weird orangey brown, the white parts this sickly yellow color. I think the only thing that didn't really change about me is my hair, it's always been a dirty blond color. My legs got long, but they bend in funny ways. And I can jump like you wouldn't believe. The worst part, back when it all first started happenin', was the tongue, ya know? Long, stretchy, and green. Hard to hide if I wanted to ever talk again, or even eat in public.  
  
My parents were all like, it's gonna be okay, Todd. We understand, there's nothing wrong with you. We love you, you're our son. I never freakin' saw it coming. Just one day I come home from school, all thinkin' about the big project I have to do that's like half my grade, wondering what's in the fridge to eat. I let myself in the apartment, ain't nothin' there. And I mean nothin'. No furniture, no phone, no food, just a big empty apartment. Bastards left me. I guess they took Adam cuz he was already 17, and nothing happened to him. Pretty safe bet he was either full human or not gonna show any dirty mutant genes, right?  
  
I was fuckin' 13. They coulda at least put me in the social system or somethin'. Not just abandoned me in New York City. I was their fuckin' son! So I wandered around for a while, tried to get into one of those sheltered for abandoned teens and runaways. But they were overflowing, thanks to the no ever so popular abandon your mutie freak kid on the street parental gambit.  
  
They mostly took the ones that could pass, like you, Arica. I can't, people just know by looking at me. I hear the whispers around school, it's not a big secret like it is for the Xdorks.  
  
So I started stealin'. I was starvin', and I didn't want to die. Even as bad as it got, I didn't want to die. I thought maybe I could even get caught, jail was better than the streets. They fed you there, gave you clothes, it was warm in the prison, and they even let you have some books if you were good. It was so bad I was figurin' on becoming one of those career small time petty crooks, just to stay there.  
  
That's how I ended up here, really. Cop finally collered me, and I was so fuckin' happy about it. I never tried to run on any of my crimes, but this time the guy started shootin' at me. So I used my mutant crap to save my life. And the cop that collered, me, well, he weren't no cop. He weren't even a he, if you take my meanin', and my meanin' has blue skin and red hair.  
  
Mystique's the only one who ever took any kind of care o' me after my parents dumped me. And wasn't that a blast. She'd turn into all sorts of nightmare things, make fun of me, and kick me around all the time. But I was like a fuckin' puppydog when she was around. At least she gave me a bed, food, and warm place to be. Then she left me too. Left all of us. But at least we had a place to live, and I was old enough to get a job. Yeah, laugh it up, really funny, ain't it? I hid it from everyone, but it brought in enough money for me to eat. I mostly eat out though, or here at school, don't want to attract the other guys notice.  
  
They kick me around too. If I had to be like this, couldn't I have at least gotten powers that're strong? Hot stuff, like that Sabretooth freak, or maybe even Daniel's. Hard to kick him around when he can spike you like that. Or...yours. Then I could make people like me...  
  
That's a dead end street. Everyone hates the Toad. My codename, ya know? It fits, yo. I eat bugs, I look like this, I jump. Girl like you will never sit at my table, even though we're both muties. I'm not as pretty as your X dork friends. My own parents didn't even want me, who's gonna?  
  
So don't get all judgey and staring on me, girl. I know what life really is, I ain't running from it like your friends there.  
  
I just ain't. Not even I can jump fast enough to get away from it all.  
  
Hell, I don't even know why I'm tellin' you all this. What the hell are you doing? Where are you goin'? Holy shit, you did not sit next to me!  
  
"Hi Todd, my name's Arica. I thought you'd like to know I was listening, and I do hear you. And...I'll be your friend. And they can laugh all they want, I don't care."  
  
A hug? I even get a hug? Man, girl, I'll do anything for you. Just don't go away. Just don't leave me. I can't help bein' what I am.  
  
"I know," she whispers in my ear. "And it's a stupid reason not to like you. I'll be your friend, you don't have to do anything but be nice to me."  
  
Maybe, just maybe, the X dorks know something I don't. They knew enough to hang out with a girl like this. I hug her back, shyly, praying to whatever god is out there that this doesn't end up hurtin' too.  
  
But for right now, I actually have a friend. 


End file.
